It’s perplexing why the World Rally Championship (WRC) doesn’t command the kind of attention other forms of motorsports do. OK, you would have had to be a rally die-hard before the days of aerial photography and on-board camera (which is all sorted now), but in terms of sheer balls-out action involving a race car set against breathtaking settings, nothing can hold a candle to WRC.
Take for instance what happened in the recently concluded Rally Argentina, the fourth leg of this year’s championship. Reigning champion Sebastian Ogier (who swept the first three) did not win his recording-equaling sixth consecutive race due to a rare mechanical failure on his Polo R. His all-conquering Volkswagen team did not dominate, in fact, never made it to the any of the podium places. Chris Meeke, the luckless Citroen driver whom you’d expect to put his DS3 WRC into the bushes or over a cliff, claimed his first ever win, which he then duly dedicated to his mentor, the late Colin McRae.
As if paying tribute to the spectacular driving of the “flying Scotsman”, both Andreas Mikkelsen (VW Polo R) and Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20 WRC) experienced near identical crashes at the same corner at the very end of the rally. Though neither was hurt, it showed just how committed the current crop of drivers are, and how fine the margins.
Source: WRC